casual cooking and living

Tag Archives: fall recipes

i love experimenting with ingredients to create a flavorful update to an already delicious recipe . This is a winning combination. I kept it simple using store bought cornbread along with sausage meat because dressing really does taste good with sausage meat. It’s a big Thanksgiving tradition in my family. I added to this many of my favorite flavors of the season, dried cranberries, walnuts, fresh rosemary and of course sage. The result is a great side to any holiday feast!

From by the bay , wishing you flavorful dressing food memories!

Maryann

Cornbread, Sausage and Walnut Dressing

Serves 6

Ingredients

8 cups stale cornbread, cut into 1/2” cubes and toasted

1 1/2 pound spicy sausage meat, remove casings

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large celery stalks, chopped

1 large Vidalia onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup dried cranberries

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced

1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped

1/8 teaspoon dried rubbed sage

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 to 3 cups low sodium chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions

To make dressing place a large skillet on medium heat and cook sausage, crumbling the meat with a fork until fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Remove meat with a slotted spoon and place into a large mixing bowl. Add butter to the same skillet, melt butter and then add the celery and onion. Saute ingredients together until softened about 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add the walnuts and herbs cook another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add to the bowl with the cooked sausage meat. Add the bread cubes, cranberries and 2 cups chicken stock to the bowl. Mix the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper. If the dressing is dry add more stock. The dressing can be made up to this point one day in advance and refrigerate until ready to bake. Remove from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Place dressing into a lightly buttered baking dish. Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Looking for the perfect turkey recipe? Here is one you will love, after years of using wet brines for my turkey preparation, I have shifted to dry brine with outstanding results. Why a dry brine? Well the taste is great which is the most important reason but besides that the brining time is faster, storing the turkey is easier and it requires a lot less effort. Let’s be honest, if you are preparing a Thanksgiving meal, you need to find ways to make it all easier. Give yourself a break or just try a different approach this holiday and enjoy !

One day before serving, rinse turkey and pat dry. Rub dry brine all over with turkey including under skin where possible and rubbing some into cavities. Use about 1 tablespoon per 4 pounds of bird. Wrap bird in a large plastic bag and place in refrigerator. A couple of hours before cooking, remove turkey from bag and pat dry. (There is no need to rinse it first.) Place in roasting pan and allow to come to room temperature. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Truss legs with kitchen twine. Put oranges and bay leaves in neck opening and tuck neck skin under bird. Rub butter under breast skin and onto thigh meat. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove turkey from oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees and cover breast of bird and wing tips with foil. Add 1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey stock to bottom of roasting pan and roast bird for another two hours, depending on size; figure 12 minutes a pound for an unstuffed bird. Remove foil in last half-hour so breast browns. When turkey has roasted for 2 hours, begin to test for doneness by inserting a meat thermometer (digital is best) into two places in thigh, making sure not to touch bone. It should be at about 160 degrees. When roasting is done, tip turkey so interior juices run back into pan. Remove turkey to a separate baking sheet or serving platter, cover with foil and then a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes. Pour fat and drippings from pan into a measuring cup. Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup chicken of turkey stock and pour that into same measuring cup. Fat and drippings can then be used to make gravy.

Allspice Dry Brine for Turkey

Ingredients for Dry Brine

1/2 cup fine sea salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon fresh orange zest

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions for Dry Brine

In a medium bowl combine well all ingredients. Store in an air tight container until ready to use.

Inspired by my travels in Napa Valley and falling in love with the sights, taste and aromas of the wine country is my super easy fig jam. The jam is the perfect when served with bread, cheese and wine. This recipe helps to transport me back everytime to this beautiful destination!

From by the bay wishing you fond wine country food memories!

Maryann

Fig Jam

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced

8 ounces fresh black mission figs, stemmed and split in half

Direction

In a medium sauce pan heat olive oil. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add all remaining ingredients except figs ( sugar, water, vinegar, salt, rosemary, lemon juice and zest). Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer until it is the consistency of a syrup and add figs. Continue to simmer until figs are soft. Cool and place in a covered glass container. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. This will keep about 5 days in the refrigerator.

If you ask what brine I recommend for this Thanksgiving, it’s a resounding yes to dry brine. You might ask why brine a turkey at all. The answer to that question would be just remember the last time you had dry turkey at Thanksgiving. Using a brine definitely enhances the flavor of a bird with juicy results. Dry brine is a great way to go. What is dry brine? Dry brine is essentially pre-salting a bird. There is no water or liquid involved so there is no mess! The results are a flavorful bird that is moist with crispy skin. The best part is this is super simple to prepare besides being so delicious.

Directions
The morning before serving rinse turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Rub turkey all over with coarse salt including into the cavities. Place the turkey in a large plastic brine bag and move into the refrigerator. Before cooking, remove turkey from bag and pat dry. (There is no need to rinse it first.) Place in roasting pan and allow to come to room temperature.Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Sprinkle half the pepper into main cavity of turkey; add thyme, rosemary, onions and orange quarters. Rub butter all over the turkey including under breast skin by gently lifting the skin. Sprinkle turkey with remaining pepper. Roast for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Add chicken broth to bottom of roasting pan and roast bird for another two hours, depending on size. Baste turkey with chicken broth every half hour. Add additional broth if needed. If turkey is browning too quickly cover breast and wing tips. Remove foil for last 1/2 hour of cooking time. After turkey has roasted for 2 hours, begin to test for doneness by inserting a meat thermometer (digital is best) into two places in thigh, making sure not to touch bone. It should be at about 160 degrees. When roasting is done, tip turkey so interior juices run back into pan. Remove turkey to a separate baking sheet or serving platter. Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes. The fat and drippings can be used to make a gravy.

Note: Figure cooking time approximately 12 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey

Here is a soup that is perfect for this time of year, The evenings are cooler , the variety of local produce is not quite so robust, but there are beautiful heads of cauliflower. Gorgeous to look at and delicious to eat. It’s just a few simple steps to having a warming bowl of cauliflower soup, balance with peppery arugula. This is definitely a recipe you will want to make over and over again during the cold season.

Place all ingredients ( except arugula, salt and pepper) in a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and bring to a simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until cauliflower starts to soften. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add arugula and mix and serve. Or place in the container and refrigerate until ready to use. Heat and serve.

What’s the perfect fall combination, well apples and pumpkin spice! Now before you dismiss this idea because you see everything with pumpkin spice this time of year , let me make my case for this delicious recipe. Nothing beats home made apple sauce, especially this time of year when we have so many apples available. I always flavor my apple sauce with cinnamon, using my homemade pumpkin spice , it’s amped up flavor, with nutmeg, cloves, ginger and allspice. The resulting taste is so good, you will only want pumpkin spice applesauce from now on ! Honest!!!

Place all the ingredients into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until apples are soft. Remove from heat and cool. Mash the apples together with a potato masher. Place in an air tight container and refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep in a refrigerator for about 1 week.

Pumpkin Spice Mix

Ingredients

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions

Mix all spices together well and store in a closed air tight container.

Inspired by all the cauliflower dishes on menus today and the great appreciation of a vegetable that for many years was out of favor, here is a delicious hummus celebrating cauliflower! It’s brightened with lemon juice and given texture with the use of several garnishes. The most interesting garnish being popcorn. I think it’s a great idea to make enough popcorn to not only garnish the hummus but to serve along to guests. If you don’t want to serve popcorn you can easily pop some corn in a small sauce pan with a cover over medium heat just adding a few dried kernels and cover. Shake a few times to ensure the corn does not burn, you’ll know when it’s ready by listening carefully to the corn popping. I like to serve this along with a nice toasted multi-grain bread.

From by the bay, wishing you warm cauliflower food memories!

Maryann

Roasted Cauliflower Hummus

Ingredients

28 ounces cauliflower florets

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1/2 cup

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons tahini

1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

To garnish use approximately 1 tablespoon of each depending on your preferences

dill

red onion pickled with red vinegar

roasted and salted pumpkin seeds

fresh popcorn

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss cauliflower with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer and roasted in the oven until cauliflower starts to caramelize and is soft, approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. In a small dish add the red onion and red wine vinegar and mix. The vinegar will softened and pickle the onions. Once the cauliflower is cool add to a food processor along with the tahini, olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Process until smooth. Taste to adjust for seasoning. Serve at room temperature or keep refrigerated until ready to use. Garnish with pickled onions, pumpkin seeds, popcorn and dill. Serve with toasted multi-grain bread.

No Thanksgiving meal would be complete without a side of potatoes and this sweet potato dish is a perfect side. Creamy sweet potatoes are enriched with creme fraiche, touched with sweet cinnamon and then topped with clouds of marshmallow meringue made with marshmallow creme that is toasted last minute and served. Thanksgiving perfection!

From by the bay, wishing you toasted marshmallow meringue food memories!

No Thanksgiving meal is complete without a great stuffing and/or dressing recipe. You can use this recipe to either stuff your turkey or bake in a casserole and serve on the side. This is a delicious savory dressing recipe, using whole wheat gives the dish a hearty , robust taste. The mushrooms add an earthy taste enhanced by the roasting and it builds on the savory whole wheat.

Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Place bread cubes in a single layer on two rimmed large baking sheets. Bake until toasted about 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool. In another baking tray lined with foil add the mushrooms and olive oil. Mix well. Roast in the oven until mushrooms start to brown and become tender about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a large skillet melt butter and then add leeks, chili flakes, thyme and rosemary. Saute together until softened about 10 minutes, separating the leek rings. Remove from heat and add to a large mixing bowl. Add the toasted bread cube, mushrooms, walnuts, vinegar and parsley to the bowl. Add chicken stock. Mix the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper. Add egg. Mix well. To bake the dressing, remove from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Bake in a 400 degree F oven covered with foil for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake another 20 minutes until dressing is heated through the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Combine into a soup pot chicken stock, cider, carrot , onion, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, giblets and neck from turkey. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. Cool and strain broth and keep refrigerated until ready to make gravy. This can be done one day in advance.

Directions for gravy

Place seasoned broth into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Take melted butter in a bowl and then add the flour, whisk until a smooth paste. Take one cup of hot broth and whisk into flour mixture until smooth. Sieve back into the broth and whisk to blend. Add maple syrup, salt and pepper and whisk again. You can have this prepared as the turkey is roasting. Once the turkey is done and removed from the roasting pan and pour pan juices into a measuring cup. Spoon off fat and discard. Add remaining juices into broth in the saucepan. Place roasting pan back on heat and deglaze with the bourbon. Scrap pan to get all brown bits, let reduce to half , about 2 minutes. Add to the gravy. Whisk together and let simmer until reduced to a sauce consistency. Remove bay leaves, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with turkey.